Black Friday is the most important day of the year for many shopping enthusiasts and customers who are looking to find their holiday season presents at the best prices. It can be tricky, however, to make the most of this shopping holiday while staying under budget.
Pay attention to prices
Even though retailers often claim their deals to offer big savings, in reality, they very often do not. The discounts are very often exaggerated and are not as insane as the retailers would like you to believe. Stay wary of such tricks and traps and do your research about pricings even before Black Friday begins. You can start as far back as a month prior to Black Friday and frequently check the prices of the products you’re interested in.
By doing that, you will see that many of those products are artificially made more expensive gradually before Black Friday. Even though it is illegal in many states to increase your prices by a considerable margin just before a promotion, some retailers will still do that. Others who are more concerned about the law will slowly increase their prices, but the end result is the same. Keep a tab on those prices and you will be able to tell which one is a true discount!
Don’t impulse buy
A considerable margin of customers doesn’t have a plan that details what they are going to look for during Black Friday. This very often leads to impulse purchases that heavily strain their wallets. Instead of going on a shopping spree without preparation, make a list of everything that you need and stick to it. You can set a budget for yourself, leaving a bit of leeway to allow yourself some fun, but don’t go over it.
Before you buy anything, make sure to read online reviews first. It won’t do you any good if you grab a bargain but the product turns out to be absolutely terrible. By doing some research on the product you’re going to buy, you can see how satisfied other customers were with the product. You can also find the historical prices of that product to see whether or not the discount is worthwhile.
Keep a collection of catalogs at the ready
Throughout the year, we are always flooded with a mass of weekly ads and catalogs that most of us end up throwing away. However, these catalogs and weekly ads can be very useful during the weeks leading to Black Friday. Many retailers publish their Black Friday deals in advance so that the customers can know what to expect. By keeping a steady supply of catalogs, you can circle or cut out the deals that you’re most interested in. This will allow you to avoid window shopping for deals on the big day.
If you don’t want to hoard weekly ads and catalogs and would rather save some paper, hop over to Frequent-Ads.com and browse through online offers of all of the major retailers. You can quickly search for the weekly ads of the stores you are interested in during Black Friday and make a list of promising deals by simply bookmarking different catalogs.
Take advantage of early deals
Nowadays, more and more retailers feature discounts and promotions even a week or two before Black Friday. This is especially relevant for online shopping, as many deals not only start way before Black Friday itself but can actually sell out before that. Keep a handy list of your favorite retailers’ websites and visit them daily in the weeks leading up to Black Friday and you might find an unexpected flash deal.
When it comes to physical stores, the earlier you leave your home in the morning on Black Friday the higher your chances for finding a better deal. Most of the hottest deals sell out just minutes after the stores open on Black Friday, so be prepared to wake up early if you want to make the most of your budget.
